Task management – 40Techhttps://www.40tech.com
A 40-Something's Take on TechTue, 29 Nov 2016 00:51:44 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.147247550Location (Geofence) Reminders Not Working in iOS 6? Disable Exchange Reminder Synchttps://www.40tech.com/2013/01/26/location-geofence-reminders-not-working-in-ios-6-disable-exchange-reminder-sync/
https://www.40tech.com/2013/01/26/location-geofence-reminders-not-working-in-ios-6-disable-exchange-reminder-sync/#commentsSat, 26 Jan 2013 12:59:16 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=11938After a couple of years as a mostly satisfied Android user, I recently switched back to the iPhone (the reasons might someday be the subject of another story). I was eager to try out location-based reminders, which reminded me of a stripped down (but easier) version of Tasker on Android. I liked the idea that I could use Siri to say, “remind me to take out the trash when I get home,” and I’d have a reminder added to my list in the Reminders app. Thanks to geofencing in iOS, that reminder would automatically fire when I pulled into the driveway.
]]>After a couple of years as a mostly satisfied Android user, I recently switched back to the iPhone (the reasons might someday be the subject of another story). I was eager to try out location-based reminders, which reminded me of a stripped down (but easier) version of Tasker on Android. I liked the idea that I could use Siri to say, “remind me to take out the trash when I get home,” and I’d have a reminder added to my list in the Reminders app. Thanks to geofencing in iOS, that reminder would automatically fire when I pulled into the driveway.

There was one problem – my location-based reminders weren’t actually firing. A Google search for the problem revealed one common solution in the Apple forums. Several users suggested that if you were syncing with an Exchange server, make sure that you were not syncing Tasks. Since Exchange/Outlook didn’t support location-based tasks, Reminders on iOS would be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. That seemed to fit my situation, as I use Outlook at work.

I hopped over into Settings>Mail, Contacts, Calendars, selected the settings for my work Exchange account…and didn’t find any setting to disable Task sync. After a moment of head scratching, I remembered that Tasks were called “Reminders” in iOS 6, and I did see a setting for that.

Disabling Reminder sync for my Exchange account, and making sure it was enabled for my iCloud account, did the trick. I’m now happily getting location-based reminders on my iPhone. That might not be an ideal situation for those of you who use Outlook tasks, but it worked for me. If you know of another solution, let me know in the comments.

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2013/01/26/location-geofence-reminders-not-working-in-ios-6-disable-exchange-reminder-sync/feed/1511938Toodledo vs. OmniFocus: Pros and Conshttps://www.40tech.com/2012/03/20/toodledo-vs-omnifocus-pros-and-cons/
https://www.40tech.com/2012/03/20/toodledo-vs-omnifocus-pros-and-cons/#commentsWed, 21 Mar 2012 01:00:00 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=10875I've been a big fan of Toodledo ever since I first reviewed it back in 2010. Recently, though, I've been unfaithful. I've abandoned Toodledo as my task management app of choice, and moved on to OmniFocus. While there are some reasons not to switch, a few compelling reasons helped me to decide to make the move. Here are some reasons to switch, and some reasons to stay put.
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I’ve been a big fan of Toodledo ever since I first reviewed it back in 2010. Recently, though, I’ve been unfaithful. I’ve abandoned Toodledo as my task management app of choice, and moved on to OmniFocus. While there are some reasons not to switch, a few compelling reasons helped me to decide to make the move. Here are some reasons to switch, and some reasons to stay put.

This is not intended to be a full review of each app. Instead, this is just a look at the factors that were important to me when deciding whether to make the switch.

Advantages of Toodledo

1. It’s a Web App

Depending on your point of view, being a web app might be an advantage or disadvantage of Toodledo. In fact, I’ve hedged my bets and counted it as both an advantage and disadvantage. It is an advantage because being a web app makes Toodledo platform-independent, and available just about anywhere. Even if you don’t have an Internet connection, you can use Toodledo as a back end, and still access your data with several desktop apps, as long as you remembered to sync when you last had a connection. OmniFocus, by contrast, is only available on Mac and iOS, so it isn’t a good choice if Windows is your primary platform.

2. It is More Powerful When Slicing and Dicing Your Data

With Toodledo, the ability to parse your data is almost limitless. For an example of some saved searches that I use, check out my post on using Toodledo as a quasi-GTD tool. You can, for example, make a search that returns all entires that you’ve Starred, and that are due within a certain number of day, and that fall within a certain folder and certain context. With OmniFocus, you can set up filters and save them as Perspectives (similar to saved searches), but I’ve found that those filters are much more limiting. For example, a Perspective must be Context-based or Project-based. A single Perspective can’t include both.

3. Toodledo is More Customizable

Toodledo is more customizable than OmniFocus. Part of that is due to the power of saved searches, as mentioned above, but there doesn’t seem to be much you can’t change in Toodledo, including the columns and the default view. OmniFocus allows much of this, but the app is so focused on being a GTD app that it doesn’t have quite the flexibility.

Advantages of OmniFocus

1. More True to GTD

OmniFocus is a GTD app, and therefore is more true to GTD methodologies. While Toodledo can be customized to become a pretty capable GTD app, it still has some shortcomings. For example, OmniFocus supports implementation of “Next Actions” right out of the box, in a way that is automated, through the use of sequential tasks within a project. Toodledo requires a user to manipulate Next Actions manually.

2. OmniFocus is Frictionless

There are several methods for entering tasks into Toodledo, such as via email or via a button that you can add to your toolbar. Still, nothing beats OmniFocus’ task entry. You can be in any app on your Mac, hit a key combination, and a task entry window will pop up. You can still scroll and manipulate the underlying window while you enter your task, without losing the pop-up Window. I’ve found this particular helpful when playing back voicemail audio files in my email inbox. I open an OmniFocus quick entry task box, hit “play” on the audio file in my email inbox, and then enter the task and hit return. The box then disappears. This is further automated with the use of a text expander snippet that types out “Return call of ” for me. OmniFocus also works with the Apple Mail app, allowing you to create a task from a Mail message (and link the task back to the Mail message) with a quick keystroke. For a somewhat comparable way of doing this with Toodledo, check out our writeup on using Mail Act-On for this purpose.

3. Toodledo is a Web App. OmniFocus is a Mac App.

As noted above, Toodledo’s status as a web app is both a pro and con. I’ve personally started gravitating back to desktop apps, finding them to be faster and more polished. Toodledo is fast, but there is an almost imperceptible lag to it, as a result of being a web app. OmniFocus is fast, and feels like a Mac app. For many Mac users, that is important.

Conclusion

There’s no “better” app here. It really comes down to personal taste. If you want more control and power, than Toodledo could be a better choice for you. If you want an app that is more true to GTD, and feels better on a Mac, then check out OmniFocus.

Do you have a preferred task management app? Let us know in the comments.

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2012/03/20/toodledo-vs-omnifocus-pros-and-cons/feed/810875It’s Magic! Set up a Windows Quick Entry Box for Mac-Only OmniFocushttps://www.40tech.com/2012/02/26/how-mac-only-omnifocus-can-accept-tasks-via-a-quick-entry-dialog-box-on-your-windows-pc/
https://www.40tech.com/2012/02/26/how-mac-only-omnifocus-can-accept-tasks-via-a-quick-entry-dialog-box-on-your-windows-pc/#commentsMon, 27 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=10630OmniFocus is a fantastic GTD application, boasting many great features. One of my favorite features is the quick entry box. This allows you to tap a key combination to call up a task entry box. That entry box will hover over whatever app you're using and then disappear after you enter your task and hit the Return key. The big problem is that OmniFocus is a Mac-only app. I've liked it enough as I tested alternatives to Toodledo, that I looked for a way to make it easier to implement in a world dominated by Windows. I found a very slick free app called Win2GTD that brings an OmniFocus quick entry box to Windows.
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OmniFocus is a fantastic GTD application, boasting many great features. One of my favorite features is the quick entry box. This allows you to tap a key combination to call up a task entry box. That entry box will hover over whatever app you’re using and then disappear after you enter your task and hit the Return key. The big problem is that OmniFocus is a Mac-only app. I’ve liked it enough as I tested alternatives to Toodledo, that I looked for a way to make it easier to implement in a world dominated by Windows. I found a very slick free app called Win2GTD that brings an OmniFocus quick entry box to Windows.

Win2GTD was released by “GrumpyDave,” a user in the OmniFocus forums. Props to him for creating such an elegant tool. Check out the post there to download the app. As his post explains, the app has functionality that supports not only OmniFocus but Yojimbo, an Evernote-like Mac app. This functionality allows you to create notes from scratch to send into either or both apps, and also to clip content to send into either app. I don’t use Yojimbo, so I’ve only been using the OmniFocus functionality.

I generally just use the quick entry box, too. That alone, though, is pretty sweet. I simply hit the Window key plus the O key (the key selection is configurable in the app’s .ini file), and a nice entry box pops up, regardless of what app I’m using on my Windows machine. I enter my task, hit Enter, and seconds later it ends up in OmniFocus over on my Mac.

The app isn’t dead simple to set up, but isn’t hard, either. The instructions are in the download, and involve installing files on both your Windows machine and your Mac. One of the installation steps involves installing Autohotkey-L on your Windows machine. I found that the easiest set up method was to use Dropbox to have the task move nearly instantaneously from the Windows machine to the Mac.

All in all, I’m thrilled with the ability to quickly enter tasks from my Windows machine. If you’re an OmniFocus user and have some other tricks to use it with a Windows machine, let us know in the comments.

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2012/02/26/how-mac-only-omnifocus-can-accept-tasks-via-a-quick-entry-dialog-box-on-your-windows-pc/feed/310630Getting Things Done (GTD) With Toodledo, Using Pseudo-GTD Methodologieshttps://www.40tech.com/2012/02/21/getting-things-done-gtd-with-toodledo-using-pseudo-gtd-methodologies/
https://www.40tech.com/2012/02/21/getting-things-done-gtd-with-toodledo-using-pseudo-gtd-methodologies/#commentsWed, 22 Feb 2012 02:00:39 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=10574One of our readers previously wrote about Getting Things Done with 2Do and Toodledo. That great writeup focused on using Toodledo through 2Do, an iOS app. I have been using Toodledo ever since I first was blown away by it, although primarily through the web app (albeit via Fluid, a Mac app that turns a web page into a standalone application). Over time, I've developed a system of my own to implement some GTD methodologies within Toodledo. Here it is.
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Background

True GTDers might scream when they see my set up, asking me where I’ve buried the body of GTD that I must have shot and killed. They may be right. It’s been quite a while since I read David Allen’s GTD book, and my system has morphed and developed since that time. I’ve recently been reading the book again, and I see just how far I’ve strayed, even with core concepts such as Next Actions. Part of this is by necessity if you’re a Toodledo user, as Toodledo doesn’t have automated support for Next Actions. Still, this setup works for me.

The heart and soul of my system rests with Toodledo’s saved searches. Toodeldo lets you slice and dice your data in almost any way imaginable, and then save that slicing and dicing so that you can quickly repeat it in the future. I almost never venture out of saved searches now.

Props go out to Proximo, a user in the Toodledo forums. His system was the launching point for my system when I started melding GTD with Toodledo. I modified his system when getting started, and I’ve further modified my system since then, so any bastardizations of GTD are solely my fault.

Before getting into the nuts and buts, a bit of an explanation is in order about how my real-life job fits (or doesn’t fit) with traditional GTD concepts. Projects, and a determination as to the next action required in any project, is at the heart and soul of GTD. A project is any outcome that requires two or more actions to complete it. In my real-life job, I do have projects, but my projects are outnumbered by unrelated one-off tasks. So keep that in mind as you review this system.

Collection and the Inbox

One of the first steps you should take when getting started with Toodledo is to take your Toodledo email address, and get it into any address book from which you might send mail. You can find your email address at Tools > More > Email Import / Export by clicking the “Configure” link. Sending a task via email is one of the more common ways for me to get tasks into Toodledo. I don’t worry about classifying or formatting the email prior to sending it. I do that later, when I go through my Toodledo Inbox.

I set up my inbox by creating a saved search to catch any task that hasn’t been assigned to a folder, as follows:

I named that search “No Folder” when I first set up my system, and never bothered to change it. In hindsight, calling that search “Inbox” would make more sense.

The Structure

My system uses Folders and Contexts at its base level. First, here is a look at how I’ve set up my columns, using a sample task that I’ve used input called “test.” You can see that my columns include the task name, as well as its folder, context, start date, due date/time, and notes.

Folders

My use of folders might be where I’ve strayed the most from traditional GTD concepts. You’ll recognize most of the terms, although I’m not using all of them in a manner that strictly comports with traditional GTD concepts. I do have folders for projects and stand-alone actions, but I’ve also added to this. Here’s a look at my folders.

The way I use these folders is to review an item after I input it, and decide if it takes one step or more than one step. If more than one step, I set it up as a Project by assigning it to the Project folder, and then using Toodledo’s subtask feature (this requires a Pro account) I enter the various steps of the project as subtasks. I like how, in Toodledo, those subtaks will appear in the Action folder (if that is the folder to which I assigned the subtask), but also in the Project folder if I expand the project.

The Action folder is where I put all of my standalone actions, or the subtasks of a Project – unless I put them into my Next folder. My Next folder differs greatly from GTD “Next Actions.” I use the Next folder for important items that I need to get to soon. GTD next actions, on the other hand, are all of the very next actions for every project, that would move each of those projects forward. While my job involves deadlines, it also involves tasks that don’t have strict deadlines, but do have time urgency to them. In my saved searches, detailed below, you’ll see that the Next folder is just one possible criteria in having a task percolate to the top of my radar. I found that just using a Next Actions list of all of my next actions, regardless of urgency or priority, wasn’t sufficient for me. In fact, I’ve recently been testing out OmniFocus, a Mac app that is much more true to GTD concepts, and my glut of next actions has my head spinning.

The Someday folder is where I file items that I’d like to complete someday, but I know I might never get to them. I generally use that Someday folder as a reminder of items, although you could break down those items into subtasks if you wanted to scope out an entire “someday” project.

The Follow Up folder and Tickler folder serve a similar purpose, and I’ve thought about eliminating one of them. I’ve used the Tickler folder to enter items that have specific due dates, that I don’t want mixed in with items in other folders. This folder is underused, as items with hard due dates usually just end up on my calendar, with sufficient reminders set up. Items in my Follow Up folder usually start somewhere else, but get moved to the “Follow Up” folder when I’ve taken the action that I can take, and am waiting on someone else. For example, if I have an item in the Next folder called “call opposing attorney regarding settlement,” I might move that to my Follow Up folder after making the call, and modify it slightly to reflect that I’m waiting on the return call.

Contexts

A context in GTD signifies the tool or location needed to complete a task, such as Office, Home, Phone, Errands, and so on. Here are my contexts:

I’ve kept my contexts to a minimum. My “Computer” context is really a context for 40Tech work. Computer work related to my job, for example, just goes in the “Work” context since I’m rarely not near a computer while on the job. You’ll notice that I don’t have a “Phone” context. I did have this context at one point, but eliminated it. I get so many voicemail messages on the job that it was too slow for me to enter them using the Toodledo interface or via email. I just keep a notepad by my phone now, dedicated strictly for recording information from voicemail messages. Phone related tasks that aren’t originated via voicemail just end up in my Work context. I should note, though, that in my trial of OmniFocus, I have found it much faster and easier to get information into the app, such that I’ve experimented with a Phone context in that app.

Use of Start and Due Dates

Another place where I drift away from GTD gospel is in my use of Start Dates and Due Dates. As mentioned above, I need some way to have my more important items float to the top of my list. Due Dates are one way that I do this, as I’ll show below when detailing my Saved Searches. Basically, I use Due Dates to set when I want an item to appear on my radar, not to indicate an actual deadline. For items that are truly due on a specified date, I put an alarm on my calendar, and my firm also has numerous other tools to monitor hard deadlines. I usually use Start Dates, on the other hand, to signify when a project or task first appeared on my radar, so I can keep an eye on stagnating items.

Saved Searches

This is where all the magic happens. My default starting screen (which can be changed in Toodledo’s settings) is my Search screen. Here is a list of my saved Searches.

And here are the search criteria for each of those items. For my Work – do today search, I catch anything that is “overdue” (using my loose definition of “due”), due today, due tomorrow, or Starred. This has significance during my review process, when I prioritize items (completely contrary to how you’re supposed to do things in GTD). As I’ll explain below, my system is fairly automated after the review.

My Work: queue search looks like this:

It catches items that I put into my “Next” folder or that are due in the next 5 days, but that aren’t due in the next 2 days or Starred. I’ve also put in criteria to catch items based on priority, but I don’t really use priorities any longer.

My Work Follow Up search is designed to simply catch the items that I’ve moved into my “Follow Up” folder, and looks like this:

I’ve mentioned my No Folder search above. It’s my Inbox, and is long overdue for a name change to reflect that. It catches items that I haven’t filtered into my system. My Home and Home Someday searches also deviate from GTD. My lists there, until recently, were simple enough that I just used it to catch items that were Starred or due in the next week, and that fell into the Home, Computer, or Errands contexts. My Home Someday folder caught everything else that used one of those contexts. My Personal all and Work all searches are just what they sound like – a list of every single task from either the office or home, respectively. It’s a way for me to do a review and make sure that I’m not missing something with one of my other searches.

The Weekly Review

The weekly review is a crucial part of GTD. I’m still working on an ideal method for automating this in Toodledo. Right now, I just work my way through each of my saved searches, tweaking and adding to items. For example, if I notice an item that is moot, I delete it or mark it as done. If a single action is better set up as a project, I set up subtasks for it. I sometimes jump over into projects to get the big picture.

And, most importantly for me, and in a deviation from traditional GTD concepts, I try to prioritize my tasks for the upcoming week during my weekly review. I don’t use Toodledo’s priorities, though. Instead, as mentioned above, I use start items or give due dates to specify when an item should appear on my radar. The way my saved searches are set up, this becomes pretty automated after the weekly review. I come in to work each day, and I see the important tasks for the day. If I need to quickly add a task to that day’s list, I star it, and the saved search for “Work – do today” catches it. If I star an item, I don’t need to bother with due dates.

Conclusion

This system has worked for me for over a year and a half, but it isn’t perfect. For one, while Toodledo is insanely customizable, it isn’t designed out of the box to be a GTD tool. As a result, I occasionally toy with some other GTD applications. In a future post, I’ll cover some of Toodledo’s main shortcomings as an electronic GTD tool.

Even though Toodledo isn’t perfect, it is one of the more powerful tools out there. The best part about it is that you can mold it to your own personal tastes. So, if my system doesn’t work for you, you may be able to tweak it. If you do, let me know in the comments.

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2012/02/21/getting-things-done-gtd-with-toodledo-using-pseudo-gtd-methodologies/feed/1410574How to Create a Linked Toodledo Task From An Apple Mail Message [Mac]https://www.40tech.com/2011/10/24/how-to-create-a-linked-toodledo-task-from-an-apple-mail-message/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/10/24/how-to-create-a-linked-toodledo-task-from-an-apple-mail-message/#respondTue, 25 Oct 2011 01:00:30 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=9400Some Mac task management apps allow you to use a keystroke to create a task from an Apple Mail message, and then have that task link back to the Mail message. This is particularly handy if, like me, many of your tasks originate from Mail messages. If you're a Toodledo user, you can do this as well, although it will require you to purchase a third-party Mail plugin.
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Some Mac task management apps allow you to use a keystroke to create a task from an Apple Mail message, and then have that task link back to the Mail message. This is particularly handy if, like me, many of your tasks originate from Mail messages. If you’re a Toodledo user, you can do this as well, although it will require you to purchase a third-party Mail plugin.

A particular AppleScript. Find it in a post on the Smoove Operator site, a blog by Mike Hardy (there are several good tidbits on this blog, so it’s worth checking out even if you’re not using it for this script).

Once you have those items, here’s what you need to do:

1) You’ll first need to make one change to the AppleScript that you downloaded. Double-click the script file to open it for editing, then find the “example@example.com” email address within the script. Replace that address with your Toodledo email address (you can find your Toodledo email address in your Email Import/Export settings).

2) Place the AppleScript somewhere on your Mac that will be easy for you to find later.

3) Install MailActOn (there is a free trial, with the normal version costing $24.95 at the time of this writing).

4) Go into your Mail preferences, to the Rules tab, and select “Act-On Rules.” Click the “Add Rule” button, and fill out the input boxes as shown in the screenshot below:

In the box that is cut off in the image above (the one to the right of “Run AppleScript”) input the location of the AppleScript that you saved in Step 2. Do this by clicking on the “Choose . . .” button and navigating to the location of the script on your Mac. When you’re done, click the “OK” button.

What will this do? When you select a message and hit CTRL-T, it will move the message out of your inbox and into your Archive folder, change the background color of the message to green, and then open a new mail message pre-populated with your Toodledo email address, the same subject as the original message, and a link. If you hit send, the message will be sent into Toodledo and automatically turned into a task. That task in Toodledo will contain the link which, when clicked, will open the archived Mail message. Keep in mind that Toodledo pays attention to certain types of syntax in the subject line of a message, so you may need to alter the subject line of the Toodledo email message if it is going to cause a conflict or other problem.

One other tweak I’ve made is to set up a couple of TextExpander snippets to help pre-populate the subject line of the email. For example, I have one snippet that sets the task context to “Work” and the folder to “Action.”

If you know of any other ways to integrate Toodledo with Mail, let us know in the comments.

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2011/10/24/how-to-create-a-linked-toodledo-task-from-an-apple-mail-message/feed/09400Toodledo Gets an Official Makeoverhttps://www.40tech.com/2011/07/26/toodledo-gets-an-official-user-interface-makeover/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/07/26/toodledo-gets-an-official-user-interface-makeover/#commentsWed, 27 Jul 2011 01:00:51 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=8463No sooner do we write about how to spruce up Toodledo with User Styles, than Toodledo goes out and spruces itself up with a new user interface. Earlier today, the interface was rolled out. The bad news? The interface conflicts with the user style I was using, and probably others as well. The good news? The default user interface is pretty nice on its own.
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No sooner do we write about how to spruce up Toodledo with User Styles, than Toodledo goes out and spruces itself up with a new user interface. Earlier today, the interface was rolled out. The bad news? The interface conflicts with the user style I was using, and probably others as well. The good news? The default user interface is pretty nice on its own.

If you’re a Toodledo user, let us know in the comments what you think about the new look. If you previously tried Toodledo, but were turned off by its appearance, you might want to take another look. One aspect of Toodledo that hasn’t changed is its power and customization options. The new UI provides you will all sorts of sorting options (contexts, folders, and more), and still retains the power of saved searches. Most of those options were there before, but harder to find and use. In fact, most of Toodledo works the same way as it did previously, but it is now much more pleasant to use.

If you like to skin or theme Toodledo, don’t despair. The developer has already indicated that themes will be making a return at a later date. The developer is also looking into requests to make the left sidebar collapsible. I’m finding that even on my MacBook Air, though, I don’t mind the sidebar.

All in all, Toodledo is still for the geekier user who wants to tinker and doesn’t mind spending some time getting a system down, that he or she will then use for years. Other apps, like Producteev, still feel more streamlined, but with not quite the power to slice and dice everything.

What do you think of the new use interface?

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2011/07/26/toodledo-gets-an-official-user-interface-makeover/feed/108463How to Give Toodledo a Visual Makeover, and Turn It Into a Standalone App, With User Styleshttps://www.40tech.com/2011/07/18/how-to-give-toodledo-a-visual-makeover-and-turn-it-into-a-standalone-app-with-user-styles/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/07/18/how-to-give-toodledo-a-visual-makeover-and-turn-it-into-a-standalone-app-with-user-styles/#commentsTue, 19 Jul 2011 01:00:56 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=8344I love Toodledo. Ever since I crowned it my task manager of choice over a year ago, it has remained as one of the main tools in my productivity arsenal. Read our prior review for a look at why it stands as such a strong task management app for geeks. One shortcoming of Toodledo, and a factor that keeps many people from using it, is the user interface. To put it bluntly, it's ugly. But it doesn't have to be. With very little effort, you can turn Toodledo into a visually appealing productivity tool.
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I love Toodledo. Ever since I crowned it my task manager of choice over a year ago, it has remained as one of the main tools in my productivity arsenal. Read our prior review for a look at why it stands as such a strong task management app for geeks. One shortcoming of Toodledo, and a factor that keeps many people from using it, is the user interface. To put it bluntly, it’s ugly. But it doesn’t have to be. With very little effort, you can turn Toodledo into a visually appealing productivity tool.

JULY 26, 2011 IMPORTANT UPDATE: On July 26, Toodledo debuted a completely new (and much better) user interface. The user style that I was using isn’t compatible with the new user interface. I suspect this may be true with other user styles, until they are updated. So, if you try out a user style and find that Toodledo no longer displays properly, that is why.

Toodledo works well with user styles, and a community has grown around these styles. User styles allow you to change the way that a website looks, giving web apps like Toodledo the ability to look completely different.

An entire section of the User Styles repository is dedicated to Toodeldo User Styles. Installing a user style works differently in different browsers. I’ve installed and tried out a few user styles using Google Chrome, and all that I needed to do was click the “install as user script” link, and restart my browser. Ever since, whenever I visit Toodledo, I see the new style (I’m using the Toodledo Things style, which is inspired by the Things app for Mac).

You can also turn Toodledo into a standalone, visually appealing app, using user styles. This requires you to use either Fluid on the Mac, or Chrome’s ability to turn web pages into standalone apps on Windows (Tools > Create application shortcuts). The Chrome method on Windows is pretty straightforward. With Fluid, check out the nonimage site, which has prepackaged Toodledo together with Fluid, and contains step-by-step instructions for getting started. To get the styles to work on my Mac, I needed to make sure that I went to the “Manage Userscripts” menu item in Fluid (look for the dropdown menu under the symbol that looks like a scroll of paper), and, next to the entry for each style, add the following:

http://www.toodledo.com/*

http://toodledo.com/*

https://www.toodledo.com/*

https://toodledo.com/*

Are you using Toodledo? Have you customized it in any way?

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2011/07/18/how-to-give-toodledo-a-visual-makeover-and-turn-it-into-a-standalone-app-with-user-styles/feed/18344Producteev Adds Google Tasks Sync, Outlook Plugin, with Native Mac, Windows, Android Apps On the Wayhttps://www.40tech.com/2011/05/25/producteev-adds-google-tasks-sync-outlook-plugin-with-native-mac-windows-android-apps-on-the-way/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/05/25/producteev-adds-google-tasks-sync-outlook-plugin-with-native-mac-windows-android-apps-on-the-way/#commentsThu, 26 May 2011 03:30:46 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=7774Producteev won me over a while back with the smooth way they integrate into your already established workflow. The pretty helped too -- pretty is a necessity for me when looking at a task list -- but it was the Google Calendar integration, and the ability to interact with and create tasks from email, IM, and more that clinched it for me. As a Gmail user, I have access to a nifty widget, and Google Apps users get even tighter integration.

Enough about me and my Google services, though! We're here to talk about you -- and did you know that Producteev has just launched an Outlook plugin that let's you single-click emails directly to tasks? And that's not all... they've also announced a two-way sync with Google Tasks, and have some native apps on the way! You like? Read on for details!

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Producteev won me over a while back with the smooth way they integrate into your already established workflow. The pretty helped too — pretty is a necessity for me when looking at a task list — but it was the Google Calendar integration, and the ability to interact with and create tasks from email, IM, and more that clinched it for me. As a Gmail user, I have access to a nifty widget, and Google Apps users get even tighter integration.

Enough about me and my Google services, though! We’re here to talk about you — and did you know that Producteev has just launched an Outlook plugin that let’s you single-click emails directly to tasks? And that’s not all… they’ve also announced a two-way sync with Google Tasks, and have some native apps on the way! You like? Read on for details!

Outlook Plugin

Outlook is powerful software, but it lacks mobility, which is a tough thing when you use it as your main task manager in this day and age. Producteev makes Outlook tasks portable by allowing you to take them to the cloud by way of a tightly integrated Outlook plugin. With the plugin, you can add emails to tasks in Producteev with a single click of the flag button, and with the integrated Producteev tab, you can assign it to others, add priority stars, etc. The plugin only allows you to sync with one workspace at a time, but you can choose for the sync to be two-way, Outlook to Producteev, or Producteev to Outlook only, and you can change workspaces right from Outlook, as well.

Google Tasks

I was honestly under the impression that people cared about Google Tasks about as much as they do about Buzz, Wave and Sidewiki. Or Orkut. Apparently, I was gravely mistaken, as Google is invested enough in Tasks that they went through the trouble of launching a Tasks API at Google I/O this month. Producteev was right there with them, and has created a two-way revolving door with the in-Gmail task manager.

It’s a pretty cool integration, actually. It allows you to create tasks in Google and have them sync to your Producteev workspace where they will have their own label (the list’s name) automatically assigned. It also works the other way, bringing your workspace’s tasks into Google where you can quickly check on them and interact with them without leaving your email. Yayy efficiency!

I advise you to be careful when using Google Tasks sync, however. It is, at this point, only designed to handle a connection from one Producteev workspace. If you use several workspaces concurrently, like I do in my Producteeev GTD setup, and you, say, I don’t know… connect them all… at once — well, let’s just say you will end up with an ever-growing and duplicating list of tasks as the workspaces sync them, and then re-sync them, one after the other, after the other, after the other. *grins* Thankfully, they all show up under one label and so were easy to delete.

If you do use multiple workspaces in your productivity setup, I recommend using only your most important workspace in Google Tasks sync. You could also use it for a priority tasks list, or to keep your Projects workspace handy at a glance.

Native Apps

Producteev hasn’t forgotten about the users out there who prefer native apps. They have had them in the works for some time now, and that awesome little tree is about to bear its fruit. A Mac app is due to hit the mainstream by the end of this month, and Windows will get a native app in mid-June. That’s straight out of the mouth (well… email) of Producteev founder Ilan Abehassera, so doubt me at your peril! Ilan also said that a fancy new Android app will be available in early June, as well.

Here’s a look at the Mac app (from the Producteev Blog):

What do you think of Producteev’s new integrations?

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2011/05/25/producteev-adds-google-tasks-sync-outlook-plugin-with-native-mac-windows-android-apps-on-the-way/feed/187774Reader Workflow in Action: GTD for Freelancers & Managing Multiple Projectshttps://www.40tech.com/2011/03/17/reader-workflow-in-action-gtd-for-freelancers-managing-multiple-projects/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/03/17/reader-workflow-in-action-gtd-for-freelancers-managing-multiple-projects/#commentsFri, 18 Mar 2011 03:07:20 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=6955We like useful tech here at 40Tech, and spend a fair amount of time talking about productivity related apps. We’ve written more than a few posts talking about ways we’ve used tech to make our busy lives a little more sane, and a little while back, we asked people to show us their own workflows. We wanted to see how our readers integrate tech into their daily lives to keep them productive. We received some comments on the post, some notes on Twitter and Facebook, and even had a few email conversations with folks, and have decided to feature a couple of the more involved methods.

Today’s feature, by freelance graphics and web designer Chase Mann, involves a GTD process that includes Evernote, Outlook, Microsoft’s OneNote, and a few other choice bits of technology:

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We like useful tech here at 40Tech, and spend a fair amount of time talking about productivity related apps. We’ve written more than a few posts talking about ways we’ve used tech to make our busy lives a little more sane, and a little while back, we asked people to show us their own workflows. We wanted to see how our readers integrate tech into their daily lives to keep them productive. We received some comments on the post, some notes on Twitter and Facebook, and even had a few email conversations with folks, and have decided to feature a couple of the more involved methods.

Today’s feature, by freelance graphics and web designer Chase Mann, involves a GTD process that includes Evernote, Outlook, Microsoft’s OneNote, and a few other choice bits of technology:

Getting Things Done (GTD) with Evernote, Outlook and OneNote

I’m a freelance graphics & web designer that uses a tablet pc. In short, these are the tools that I’ve found work best for me:

Moleskin notebook & pen, Smartphone with Evernote app.

Dropbox to automatically sync all client files and research folders.

Outlook for Contacts, Calendar & Tasks. (connected with Gmail).

OneNote as my written-note capture and Working space (on my tablet-pc) with a GTD Notebook for current Projects.

I then tweaked all these programs and setups to better fit my workflow needs.

The GTD Workflow

I begin my GTD workflow by keeping my Moleskin notebook and Android phone as my immediate capture devices, which I then process into my Evernote Inbox notebook. Because I have design software on both my desktop and my tablet pc, and I’m constantly making changes to client files and gathering research resources, I use Dropbox to have the most updated client files and research folders automatically synced between all of my devices.

My projects tend to be mostly digital so I rely heavily on email communications (and some telephone conversations), but I tell all my clients that I prefer email so we both have documented project conversations. Outlook has quickly become my main communications & scheduling hub. Once I am referred a potential client, I setup a meeting to discuss project needs via whatever medium they prefer. I always take notes during the conversation and then email a copy to the client as my first follow-up step. If the client chooses me for the project, then I make new notebooks in both Evernote and OneNote specifically for that client and that project.

As I have time to sort through my inboxes, I’m able to organize and set tasks up as Projects. All Projects get their own notebook created in OneNote. I also attach that notebook to all possible related contacts in Outlook.

Why the heck would I use Outlook? I love the integration of Outlook and OneNote (2010 versions). I like being able to take an email about a client meeting and actually turn it into a task AND an appointment on my Calendar. I love being able to set reminders on tasks and calendar items too. It’s my tickler system. Easy.

As I process emails, they either get turned into scheduled tasks, flagged with a reminder tickler, sent to Evernote as reference, or sent to OneNote for current working projects. A major benefit of sending an email from Outlook to OneNote is that any attachments on the email show up as attached files in OneNote. How cool is that?!

Using Evernote

From the beginning, I had decided that Evernote would be my magical, brain-dump, inbox, filing cabinet. My very own research and records department that I can conveniently carry around in my pocket and access via a variety of mobile options. I setup Evernote using Bobby’s article with some tweaks to better suit my workflow.

Since Evernote came out with sub-notebooks, I find it easier to use those on my Android phone. I created a “Clients” notebook with sub-notebooks for each client by name. “Inbox” is my default notebook and “References” notebook, because I like moving items out of the Inbox notebook as part of my review process. I also created a “Coffee” notebook because I’m heavily involved in the coffee industry.

For all of my own personal projects, I create “@Project-name” tags to easily find them and I created a “!clients” tag for quickly marking items for later processing into the actual client’s sub-notebook. Since I really don’t use Evernote for my GTD (I prefer Outlook and OneNote for that), the only other tags I used were Bobby’s suggestion of Reference Materials, with a “folder” tag for each letter of the alphabet … which I further break down into actual tags. So A, would also have Apple, Art, Amphibians, etcetera … whatever tags make the most sense to me when I capture the item.

I do most of my project research via the internet and send pages, selections and images to Evernote with the !clients tag into my Inbox notebook for later sorting. Next I sort through my research materials and send selected items over to the project’s notebook in OneNote and create a mood-board page so I can mix and match items organically and scribble notes wherever I feel like it.

OneNote

OneNote is my working desktop so I try to keep it tidy by not using it as a reference tool, even though I could. The reason I prefer OneNote over Evernote for projects is because with a tablet PC I have the freedom to scribble hand-written notes anywhere I like in OneNote — then I can right click them and convert them into typed text. I also keep a section called “Scribbles” in each Client’s section group so that I can scribble notes and ideas as they hit me, then I convert them into tasks or reference material during my daily review of projects. I try my best to stay organized as I go so I have less processing to do during reviews.

One extra thing I did with OneNote was to setup a Clients Notebook where I created a section-group for each client with a Projects section that has pages and sub-pages for each active project I have with that client. I have an All Projects section in my GTD Notebook that lists all my currently active projects which has a wiki-style link to the Client’s section-group, and the specific Projects section for that client (and vice versa). This way I’m able to move around quickly within OneNote. I have To Do lists in each Client section-group and have those wiki-linked to a main To Do list in my GTD Notebook. I also set up an Archives section in each of the Client’s section-groups where I send the individual projects when they are totally complete. This way I only have current working projects in the active Projects section of both my GTD Notebook and my Clients Notebook.

Another reason I prefer to keep Evernote for reference and OneNote as my Projects organizer is so I can use the power of tags in each program respectively. I like being able to list all my tags across all notebooks in OneNote and know that they are project-related.

When I’m looking for a reference item, I know to just search by tags in Evernote and copy/paste only the necessary bits I need (instead of entire articles or web pages) over into OneNote.

Reviewing

I do a daily review each morning so I can make new daily lists, and I do a Sunday morning weekly review. I do mine in the mornings so that I’ve not got a lot on my mind when I’m trying to go to sleep at night.

So that’s my current workflow – thought it is still developing and being refined. I’m curious if someone has done something similar, but with Google apps or other free apps?

Chase Mann is the owner of Aim It Media, a creative design and marketing company for entrepreneurs and small businesses. You can connect with him via his many comments on 40Tech, or catch him on Twitter as @AimItMedia, @MyCoffeePro, or @Creativarty

]]>https://www.40tech.com/2011/03/17/reader-workflow-in-action-gtd-for-freelancers-managing-multiple-projects/feed/126955Managing Life On The Go With Astrid [Android]https://www.40tech.com/2011/02/22/managing-life-on-the-go-with-astrid-android/
https://www.40tech.com/2011/02/22/managing-life-on-the-go-with-astrid-android/#commentsWed, 23 Feb 2011 02:00:35 +0000http://www.40tech.com/?p=6734With all the various productivity apps floating around on the internet, it can become hard to filter through them all and pick one which suits your needs. In addition, with the rise of numerous paid apps, it can be difficult to determine whether one is right for your uses. Astrid, however, has made a name for itself among the prominent Android blogs. It is well-respected as one of the best task list apps available for Android users, and to boot, it's free! So what makes Astrid so popular? Aside from the price point, the simple answer is: it works, and works well.
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With all the various productivity apps floating around on the internet, it can become hard to filter through them all and pick one which suits your needs. In addition, with the rise of numerous paid apps, it can be difficult to determine whether one is right for your uses. Astrid, however, has made a name for itself among the prominent Android blogs. It is well-respected as one of the best task list apps available for Android users, and to boot, it’s free! So what makes Astrid so popular? Aside from the price point, the simple answer is: it works, and works well.

What does Astrid do?

Astrid is a Task/To-do List manager. As simple as that may sound, when combined with GTD, Astrid becomes a mobile powerhouse, capable of helping you keep your entire life organized and in the palm of your hand.

How does Astrid work?

The beauty of Astrid is in its tags and filters. Using Astrid as a stand-alone system on your Android handset, you can use tags to organize all of your tasks. You can use the tags to build out your GTD lists, and then use filters to show just the specific tasks you want shown in any given context. In addition, if you’re not a user of GTD, or even if you are, you can set up additional filters which will only show you specific tasks based upon a set of criteria you select.

In addition, you can set deadline dates and times, assign tasks a specific level of importance symbolized by a color-code, and add notes to track additional details related to a task. You can also set up reminders to go off at specific points for each task, or even hide a task so that it doesn’t show up in your task list until a certain time relative to the due date or a specific date/time you set. Recurring tasks are also available, and Astrid also allows you to track time spent on a particular task through the use of an in-app timer attached to each task.

As you continue adding more and new tasks to Astrid, you’ll no longer be able to see all your tasks on a single screen, or even in a short scroll. This is where filters and the search function truly begin to shine. As you gain a larger number of tasks, tags and filters become absolutely necessary. Tags allow you to categorize each individual task, and filters allow you to see only those specific tasks you want to see at any given time. Using the search function allows you to leverage the tag information you’ve built into each task to find a particular task when you need it.

And when you need to see a particular set of tasks at a glance, Astrid has provided a very basic widget for free. The widget is 2×2, and will show up to five tasks a time, from any filter you’ve set up. Also, if you’ve set up sync with Google Tasks or Producteev, you can show tasks from any list or workspace on the widget.

What else can I do with Astrid?

For even greater flexibility with your tasks, you can also sync Astrid with Google Tasks and Producteev. This will enable you to handle your task lists at your laptop or desktop as well as on your phone. It also opens up even more options for organization, especially through the use of Producteev’s workspaces.
If the free app doesn’t completely meet your needs, however, the Astrid Power Pack is here to save the day. Included in this $3.99 purchase on the Market are 3 larger and fuller-featured widgets, the ability to add tasks via voice input, and voice reminders (on Android 2.1+), as well as priority support via email in the event that something goes wrong. I found this app very much worth the price, if only for the widgets. Included are 4×2, 4×3, and 4×4 widgets. Each of these enables the user to scroll through the selected task list within the widget, add new tasks quickly by loading right into the task-creation part of the Astrid app (and bring you right back to your homescreen and widget after saving the task), and check off completed tasks. And if you’re not as adroit with the tiny keyboard on your phone, the ability to add tasks by talking to your phone can be golden.
There is also another paid-for add-on available in the Android Market, the Astrid Locale Add-on, which apparently makes Astrid location- and situation-aware. If that doesn’t set off the paranoia and make you reach for the tinfoil hat, then read on: with the Locale add-on, Astrid is now capable of notifying you of work tasks when you’re at the office, or your grocery list when you’re near the store. Astrid will notify you of specific tasks based upon your particular location. This is an excellent means of tracking GTD contexts to help manage your time and task-completion.

Conclusion

While Astrid has its quirks in syncing with Producteev(my desktop task-management app of choice), it is a powerful task management app in its own right. In addition, despite the quirks and occasional hiccups in its sync with Producteev, Astrid does an excellent job of tracking my tasks and to-do lists and presenting them right where I need them: in the palm of my hand. If you need a mobile task-manager, and/or need a mobile tool to connect with your Producteev or Google Tasks account, Astrid is the go-to app of choice. Find it on the Android Market: Astrid Task/Todo List

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Tim Graves blogs about writing and writes about blogging. Sometimes he even mixes it up and blogs about blogging. You can read more from him on his blog at TimGraves.info or find him on Twitter, @TimGraves.